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Denver, CO

Can I take a ready to open male, cut it, put it in the fride and leave it there until I have a appropriate female that I want to pollinate? How long will it last? Can I wipe the pollen off with a brush and store it on a paper plate or somthing?

I am having a problem where I only have maybe 2 or 3 male flowers ready the day before my female is going to open. I want more then that to pollinate with so I am hoping I can take 3 to 4 days worth, store them and then apply the pollen when I need it?

Any thoughts are great! Laslty, when you pollinate, Do you cover the inside (very dead center) of the female lobes and the outside of these lobes, or what?

Thanks !

8/4/2004 3:36:53 PM

Edmonton, Canada

Many people do this, including me. Simply pick the male flower, just before it's going to open. I wrap it in plastic wrap, and put it in the fridge. It should last like that for at leadt a couple of days!

8/4/2004 3:55:17 PM

Ohio

I Store mine in the fridge also. I Take a Pin and scrape the pollin out carfully of about 4 males on to a white piece of paper(It's easier to see) Then I make a funnel out of the paper that has the pollin on it and dump it into a clear perscription pill bottle(clear). When Im ready to pollinate I just open the cap and dump it in. My pollination rate doing It this is over 90% this year. I have used pollin that was 4 days old in the fridge and it still worked. Some people say it will last up to two weeks in the freezer.

8/4/2004 4:48:56 PM

Wichita, KS

I had a flower this season that lasted a week and a half before I needed it. By that time I had a bunch of males, too. It still looked good. I kept it in some water in the fridge.

I like to cover as much of the inside as possible, minus the petals. The center probably doesn't make a difference, but I get it anyway. My plants usually have enough males opening each day (3-5), so I tie the males shut the evening before they open. If I have a plant with only a couple males opening per day, I refridgerate flowers. This morning I only had one male opening on my Kennedy plant (Nice green females, btw), so I had to cross my Kennedy with a 703 Smith male. This was unplanned, but I think it will make a good GREEN cross. I hope it sets.

Sorry, I kind of got off topic. :-D

8/4/2004 4:54:20 PM

Denver, CO

Great responses guys! Thanks for all the info, sounds like its the thing to do when you dont have the quanity otherwsise needed. I will let everyone know how the pollination goes, so far I am 0 for 3 but I have lots a females comming on in the next few weeks. ( I am several weeks behind here in Colorado as we had about 20 days of rain in the month of July)

Thanks again! More responses are welcome too!

8/4/2004 7:55:57 PM

Wichita, KS

don't feel too bad about being behind. I polinated three plants today, one plant yesterday, another will be ready by Sunday. Two more within 10 days. Will I have time to get them ready for the weigh-off? Who can tell.

I sold the house where my best plant was growing (big-time seller's remorse! Just kidding), and I am reluctant to go back, so I am probably only going to checl in once a week, and try to do it from the other side of the fence. The owners gave me permission, but it feels weirder than I expected.

Maybe I should have posted this on the "Share your pain" thread. LOL :-D

8/5/2004 12:39:26 AM